Alive, Has anyone heard the CD?? Options

[mattyeagles]

If possible, can we keep this thread to discuss music and not argue with each other?

[Pokey]

Just a couple of things .. I don't have anything against pop as a style of music. Pop can be fun without having to be overly in depth. But there is a way for pop to be creative and not lame. I stated before I'm a big Lady Gaga fan and she's probably the biggest pop star in the world at the moment. I love a lot of French pop, -M-, Aliezee, Melanie Pain etc... Lily Allen, Custard .. etc, so it's nothing against the genre of music. I just don't think Ed does it well.

Secondly, I know Deku you said that it's a little cynical to write the review upon first listen. It's sad but I've listend to it twice since then and enjoyed it even less on both those listens. I did mention that it just isn't the sort of music to me that will grow on me. Sometimes you do listen to a song for the first time and even though you might not straight away go "wow this is terrible!" you don't exactly love it, but theres SOMETHING about it that makes you think "maybe i'll give it a few listens and it might change.." whether it changes for the better or worse, there is definitely a lot of music that makes you think you need more listens. Ed's album just doesn't have that, it doesnt need more than the first listen to know everything about it. The only thing you'd get out of more listens is memorising the lyrics.

[Liveman94]

Just a couple of things .. I don't have anything against pop as a style of music. Pop can be fun without having to be overly in depth. But there is a way for pop to be creative and not lame. I stated before I'm a big Lady Gaga fan and she's probably the biggest pop star in the world at the moment. I love a lot of French pop, -M-, Aliezee, Melanie Pain etc... Lily Allen, Custard .. etc, so it's nothing against the genre of music. I just don't think Ed does it well.

Secondly, I know Deku you said that it's a little cynical to write the review upon first listen. It's sad but I've listend to it twice since then and enjoyed it even less on both those listens. I did mention that it just isn't the sort of music to me that will grow on me. Sometimes you do listen to a song for the first time and even though you might not straight away go "wow this is terrible!" you don't exactly love it, but theres SOMETHING about it that makes you think "maybe i'll give it a few listens and it might change.." whether it changes for the better or worse, there is definitely a lot of music that makes you think you need more listens. Ed's album just doesn't have that, it doesnt need more than the first listen to know everything about it. The only thing you'd get out of more listens is memorising the lyrics.

while I respect your opinion mate - regarding the album it wouldve had more weight had you listnd the 3times or whatever then posted. On subsequent listens now u are almost duty bound to dislike it in order to maintain ur previous statements.

I think what you say Is probly more than a fair-call on the albums quality - however and this may be what you refer to above but in the context of 'idol/daughtry/nickelback' pop how does the album and how do the songs rate?

Also, I have a theory on 'Zion': that the reason it is so magnetic for live fans inspite of the fact it's only average is that it is the only song by the real Ed Kowalczyk - as in not a poptastic manifestation of the man we once knew...perhaps written with or in the same style as Live songs of the past - it may even represent what live may have sounded like today with genuine Ed instead of the plastic solo artist guy - imagine the rest of the boys behind it? It'd be an all out return to glory similar in punch to 'believe' the two songs couldve formed a strong basis for a new Live album. Anyway I hadn't heard alive but am looking forward to it and I'm hopeful I'll like it a little more than you do... good review though.

[Pokey]

while I respect your opinion mate - regarding the album it wouldve had more weight had you listnd the 3times or whatever then posted. On subsequent listens now u are almost duty bound to dislike it in order to maintain ur previous statements.

I think what you say Is probly more than a fair-call on the albums quality - however and this may be what you refer to above but in the context of 'idol/daughtry/nickelback' pop how does the album and how do the songs rate?

Also, I have a theory on 'Zion': that the reason it is so magnetic for live fans inspite of the fact it's only average is that it is the only song by the real Ed Kowalczyk - as in not a poptastic manifestation of the man we once knew...perhaps written with or in the same style as Live songs of the past - it may even represent what live may have sounded like today with genuine Ed instead of the plastic solo artist guy - imagine the rest of the boys behind it? It'd be an all out return to glory similar in punch to 'believe' the two songs couldve formed a strong basis for a new Live album. Anyway I hadn't heard alive but am looking forward to it and I'm hopeful I'll like it a little more than you do... good review though.

Not at all, if I kept on listening to it and my opinion changed then I'd say so. What have I got to lose? I'm not trying to impress anyone. But my opinion is not changing, if anything my review would be more scathing if I wrote it now I think. I just wanted to capture my initial reaction to hearing the album for the first time.

I know what you mean about giving it time to sink in first before writing a review. But that was part of my whole point, some music just demands you listen to it more and more, whether your opinion moves towards the positive or the negative from whatever your first one is, the music still demands more listens. I just did not get that out of Ed's album, when it finished if I never had to listen to it ever again I'd be more than happy. Nothing in it made me think "hmm maybe I should hold back before confirming this as my review". I've written a lot of proper music reviews for a melbourne music mag and a website before and a lot of the times I have written the review whilst listening to the album for the first time but then not posted it and will tweak it upon further listens, you can just tell when an album needs that to happen for an honest review to take place. And yeah once again, this just wasn't one of them.

As far as comparing them to the whole Idol/daughtry sound goes .. it's honestly hard to judge it against others in the same category. I find this type of music so barren and void of interest that comparing it to others is difficult. It's like comparing nothing to nothing. In some ways it's better because his voice is good, in other ways I think I'd prefer more Idol/daughtry stuff because it isn't as preachy and God and Church filled ... those are lyrics and themes I can't get behind. It's certainly not REALLY any better or worse than Idol stuff because it just IS that.

What frustrates me is that there is nothing interesting musically going on ... where is the slide guitar of Face and Ghost? The hush whispered vocals of TBD? The brilliant drumming of Pain Lies? The amazing bass of Heropsychodreamer? ... the music is just such a dramatic step down from what he's worked with before and I just can't fathom how he can stand this!

[Aitkens]

the music is just such a dramatic step down from what he's worked with before and I just can't fathom how he can stand this!

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